http://www.renewableuk.com/en/renewable-energy/wind-energy/how-it-works.cfm
Have you ever wondered how a wind turbine works, & why they are so good for the environment compared to Nuclear, fracking, & typical fossil fuels?
Onshore wind farms reduce CO2 emissions, provide energy security, (keeping the lights on). Research conducted by RenewableUK and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has shown that for each installed megawatt (MW), around £100,000 stays in the community during the lifetime of a project.
Onshore wind works well in the UK because of the excellent wind resource. It has also become one of the most cost effective forms of renewable energy, providing over 5,000MW of capacity. A modern 2.5MW (commercial scale) turbine, on a reasonable site, will generate 6.5 million units of electricity each year – enough to make 230 million cups of tea.
Opinion polls consistently show high levels of support for onshore wind in the UK, with higher support in rural areas. In the UK, there are numerous onshore wind projects, ranging from single turbines to larger, multi-turbine schemes (see below for further details). Projects are developed by an increasingly diverse range of people, from large energy companies and independent developers, to community groups or small businesses and farms.
How it Works
Most wind turbines start operating at a speed of 4-5 metres per second and reach maximum power at about 15 metres per second.
A Typical Wind Turbine A typical wind turbine consists of the following components:
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Unlike lots of other power sources, when a wind turbine comes to the end of it's useful life, you can simply replace it using the same footprint of land, recycling the bits & pieces used to make it.
Some areas of the country hve "community" wind farms, they use government money (a bit like the "Ramsey millions" to build turbines that can support their whole community with energy, & make money by selling the electricity produced back to the national grid.
We know we have enough wind around Ramsey, so why don't we do this in our community? ...what do you think?